1103.4 Side Walls Draining onto a Roof — 2025 California Plumbing Code
California Plumbing Code (Title 24, Part 5) · 2025 edition · updated 2026-09-25 · California
CBSC: official editions, supplements and errata
Italicized text is a California amendment to the model code, as printed in the official publication.
Cite as: 2025 California Plumbing Code (Title 24, Part 5) § 1103.4 · Effective January 1, 2026 · Official source: Building Standards Commission
Where vertical walls project above a roof to permit storm water to drain into the roof area below, the adjacent roof area shall be permitted to be computed from Table 1103.1 as follows:
(1) For one wall – add 50 percent of the wall area to the roof area figures.
(2) For two adjacent walls of equal height – add 35 percent of the total wall areas.
STORM DRAINAGE
| TABLE 1103.1 SIZING ROOF DRAINS, LEADERS, AND VERTICAL RAINWATER PIPING2, 3 | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SIZE OF DRAIN, LEADER, OR PIPE |
FLOW | MAXIMUM ALLOWABLE HORIZONTAL PROJECTED ROOF AREAS AT VARIOUS RAINFALL RATES (square feet) |
MAXIMUM ALLOWABLE HORIZONTAL PROJECTED ROOF AREAS AT VARIOUS RAINFALL RATES (square feet) |
MAXIMUM ALLOWABLE HORIZONTAL PROJECTED ROOF AREAS AT VARIOUS RAINFALL RATES (square feet) |
MAXIMUM ALLOWABLE HORIZONTAL PROJECTED ROOF AREAS AT VARIOUS RAINFALL RATES (square feet) |
MAXIMUM ALLOWABLE HORIZONTAL PROJECTED ROOF AREAS AT VARIOUS RAINFALL RATES (square feet) |
MAXIMUM ALLOWABLE HORIZONTAL PROJECTED ROOF AREAS AT VARIOUS RAINFALL RATES (square feet) |
MAXIMUM ALLOWABLE HORIZONTAL PROJECTED ROOF AREAS AT VARIOUS RAINFALL RATES (square feet) |
MAXIMUM ALLOWABLE HORIZONTAL PROJECTED ROOF AREAS AT VARIOUS RAINFALL RATES (square feet) |
MAXIMUM ALLOWABLE HORIZONTAL PROJECTED ROOF AREAS AT VARIOUS RAINFALL RATES (square feet) |
MAXIMUM ALLOWABLE HORIZONTAL PROJECTED ROOF AREAS AT VARIOUS RAINFALL RATES (square feet) |
MAXIMUM ALLOWABLE HORIZONTAL PROJECTED ROOF AREAS AT VARIOUS RAINFALL RATES (square feet) |
MAXIMUM ALLOWABLE HORIZONTAL PROJECTED ROOF AREAS AT VARIOUS RAINFALL RATES (square feet) |
| inches | gpm1 | 1 (in/h) | 2 (in/h) | 3 (in/h) | 4 (in/h) | 5 (in/h) | 6 (in/h) | 7 (in/h) | 8 (in/h) | 9 (in/h) | 10 (in/h) | 11 (in/h) | 12 (in/h) |
| 2 | 30 | 2880 | 1440 | 960 | 720 | 575 | 480 | 410 | 360 | 320 | 290 | 260 | 240 |
| 3 | 92 | 8800 | 4400 | 2930 | 2200 | 1760 | 1470 | 1260 | 1100 | 980 | 880 | 800 | 730 |
| 4 | 192 | 18 400 | 9200 | 6130 | 4600 | 3680 | 3070 | 2630 | 2300 | 2045 | 1840 | 1675 | 1530 |
| 5 | 360 | 34 600 | 17 300 | 11 530 | 8650 | 6920 | 5765 | 4945 | 4325 | 3845 | 3460 | 3145 | 2880 |
| 6 | 563 | 54 000 | 27 000 | 17 995 | 13 500 | 10 800 | 9000 | 7715 | 6750 | 6000 | 5400 | 4910 | 4500 |
| 8 | 1208 | 116 000 | 58 000 | 38 660 | 29 000 | 23 200 | 19 315 | 16 570 | 14 500 | 12 890 | 11 600 | 10 545 | 9600 |
For SI units: 1 inch = 25 mm, 1 gallon per minute = 0.06 L/s, 1 inch per hour = 25.4 mm/h, 1 square foot = 0.0929 m [2]
Notes: 1 Maximum discharge capacity, gpm (L/s) with approximately 1 3 ⁄ 4 inch (44 mm) head of water at the drain. 2 For rainfall rates other than those listed, determine the allowable roof area by dividing the area given in the 1 inch per hour (25.4 mm/h) column by the desired rainfall rate. 3 Vertical piping shall be round, square, or rectangular. Square pipe shall be sized to enclose its equivalent round pipe. Rectangular pipe shall have not less than the same cross-sectional area as its equivalent round pipe, except that the ratio of its side dimensions shall not exceed 3 to 1.
(3) For two adjacent walls of unequal height – add 35 percent of the total common height and add 50 percent of the remaining height of the highest wall. (4) Two opposite walls of same height – add no additional
area.
(5) Two opposite walls of differing heights – add 50 percent of the wall area above the top of the lower wall. (6) Walls on three sides – add 50 percent of the area of the inner wall below the top of the lowest wall, plus an allowance for the area of the wall above the top of the lowest wall, in accordance with Section 1103.4(3) and Section 1103.4(5) above. (7) Walls on four sides – no allowance for wall areas below the top of the lowest wall – add for areas above the top of the lowest wall in accordance with Section 1103.4(1), Section 1103.4(3), Section 1103.4(5), and Section 1103.4(6) above.
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